The virtual anatomy laboratory: usability testing to improve an online learning resource for anatomy education     

Doubleday EG  O'Loughlin VD  Doubleday AF 《Anatomical sciences education》2011,4(6):318-326

An increasing number of instructors are seeking to provide students with online anatomy resources. Many researchers have attempted to identify associations between resource use and student learning but few studies discuss the importance of usability testing in resource design and modification. Usability testing provides information about ease of use and resource flexibility and indicates navigational issues that contribute to extraneous cognitive load for the user. An example of usability testing for modification of an online anatomy resource called the "Virtual Lab" is presented. Usability testing was used to determine whether increased content would impair navigation through the interface. Subjects with varying levels of experience with anatomy content were recruited to assess efficiency and effectiveness (defined by usability standards) of the original resource and of the redesigned resource. Comparisons between usability evaluation of the original "Virtual Lab" (OVL) and of the redesigned "Virtual Lab" (RVL) revealed that subjects were better able to successfully complete tasks using the RVL than they were with the OVL. Results also demonstrated that subjects did not take significantly more time to successfully complete tasks with the RVL. Additionally, usability testing revealed that subjects were able to successfully complete tasks using the RVL regardless of whether they possessed prior experience with anatomy content or not. Results of this study suggest that the modified resource is more effective for users. The example presented here underscores the need for usability testing prior to resource implementation and whenever significant changes are made to a resource interface.  相似文献   

Do RFIDs (radio frequency identifier devices) provide new ethical dilemmas for librarians and information professionals?     

Clare Thornley  Stuart Ferguson  John Weckert  Forbes GibbAuthor vitae 《International Journal of Information Management》2011,31(6):546-555

This paper provides an analysis of the current and potential ethical implications of RFID technology for the library and information professions. These issues are analysed as a series of ethical dilemmas, or hard-to-resolve competing ethical obligations, which the librarian has in relationship to information objects, library users and the wider social and political environment or state. A process model of the library is used as a framework for the discussion to illustrate the relationship between the different participants in the library system and it is argued that ethical analysis should involve the identification of future developments as well as current issues. The analysis shows that RFIDs do currently pose some dilemmas for librarians in terms of the conflicts between efficient service, privacy of users and an obligation to protect the safety of society as a whole, and that these are likely to become more problematic as the technology develops. This paper is part 2 of a series of papers on RFIDs and the library and information professions.  相似文献   

Shrink-film microfluidic education modules: Complete devices within minutes     

Nguyen D  McLane J  Lew V  Pegan J  Khine M 《Biomicrofluidics》2011,5(2):22209

As advances in microfluidics continue to make contributions to diagnostics and life sciences, broader awareness of this expanding field becomes necessary. By leveraging low-cost microfabrication techniques that require no capital equipment or infrastructure, simple, accessible, and effective educational modules can be made available for a broad range of educational needs from middle school demonstrations to college laboratory classes. These modules demonstrate key microfluidic concepts such as diffusion and separation as well as "laboratory on-chip" applications including chemical reactions and biological assays. These modules are intended to provide an interdisciplinary hands-on experience, including chip design, fabrication of functional devices, and experiments at the microscale. Consequently, students will be able to conceptualize physics at small scales, gain experience in computer-aided design and microfabrication, and perform experiments-all in the context of addressing real-world challenges by making their own lab-on-chip devices.  相似文献   

Crossing cultures: Analysing the experiences of NZ returnees from the EU (UK vs. non-UK)     

Natalia Chaban  Allan Williams  Martin Holland  Valerie Boyce  Frendehl Warner 《Int J Intercult Relat》2011,35(6):776-790

While there is growing scholarly interest in returned and cyclical migration, and on young adult cultural or adventure seeking migration, there is still a lack of systematic empirical insights into how the experiences of being abroad, and after return, are mediated by exposure to different cultural environments. Addressing this conceptual and empirical gap, the paper analyses the experiences of New Zealand return migrants, or sojourners, who lived and worked in European countries (other than the UK) for more than one year and compares them with the experiences of NZ returnees from the UK. Drawing on 20 ‘non-UK’ and 22 ‘UK’ in-depth interviews, the paper revisits [Rhinesmith, 1975] and [Rhinesmith, 1986] typology of cross-cultural, or intercultural, adjustment (largely ignored in studies of return migration) to assess sojourners’ experiences throughout the migration cycle and serve as a useful tool for identifying and reporting psychological and socio-cultural elements in the returnees stories. The findings of sojourners’ possible identity shifts during intercultural transition are discussed with reference to the four-member paradigm of Cultural Identity Model (CIM) (Sussman, 2010) while addressing Sussman's (2002) argument that overseas adaptation and repatriation experiences are not directly associated. This paper demonstrates the need to understand first that the costs and benefits of circular migration or sojourning are country-specific, and that they do not ‘just happen’ at a particular moment or in one phase but are forged through a veritable rollercoaster of experiences of intercultural adjustment.  相似文献   

Enhancement of anatomical learning and developing clinical competence of first‐year medical and allied health profession students          下载免费PDF全文

Sarah A. Keim Janssen  Stephane P. VanderMeulen  Valerie K. Shostrom  Carol S. Lomneth 《Anatomical sciences education》2014,7(3):181-190

Hands‐on educational experiences can stimulate student interest, increase knowledge retention, and enhance development of clinical skills. The Lachman test, used to assess the integrity of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), is commonly performed by health care professionals and is relatively easy to teach to first‐year health profession students. This study integrated teaching the Lachman test into a first‐year anatomy laboratory and examined if students receiving the training would be more confident, competent, and if the training would enhance anatomical learning. First‐year medical, physician assistant and physical therapy students were randomly assigned into either the intervention (Group A) or control group (Group B). Both groups received the course lecture on knee anatomy and training on how to perform the Lachman test during a surface anatomy class. Group A received an additional 15 minutes hands‐on training for the Lachman test utilizing a lightly embalmed cadaver as a simulated patient. One week later, both groups performed the Lachman test on a lightly embalmed cadaver and later completed a post‐test and survey. Students with hands‐on training performed significantly better than students with lecture‐only training in completing the checklist, a post‐test, and correctly diagnosing an ACL tear. Students in Group A also reported being more confident after hands‐on training compared to students receiving lecture‐only training. Both groups reported that incorporating clinical skill activities facilitated learning and created excitement for learning. Hands‐on training using lightly embalmed cadavers as patient simulators increased confidence and competence in performing the Lachman test and aided in learning anatomy. Anat Sci Educ 7: 181–190. © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.  相似文献   

A Comparative Demographic Study of Student Teachers from the North and South of Ireland     

Seamus Dunn  Valerie Morgan 《比较教育学》1979,15(2):143-157

90.4% of the 1977 entrants to concurrent general Teacher Education courses in Ireland North and South responded to a demographic questionnaire. The results are analysed and the two regions contrasted with respect to personal, professional and geographical variables. These indicate that some interesting differences exist but that there are many overall similarities.  相似文献   

Engaging the disciplines in internationalising the curriculum     

Valerie Anne Clifford 《International Journal for Academic Development》2013,18(2):133-143

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Institutional complementarities: The origins of experimentation in China’s plug-in electric vehicle industry     

John P. Helveston  Yanmin Wang  Valerie J. Karplus  Erica R.H. Fuchs 《Research Policy》2019,48(1):206-222

A vast literature on technology transitions within industries suggests that early phases of new technologies are marked by periods of intense experimentation, but we know little about the conditions under which these periods emerge. We apply inductive, grounded theory-building techniques to examine what prompts firms to experiment across one emerging technology platform—plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs)—in China. Triangulating annual vehicle make and model sales data from 2003 to 2016 (plus monthly data from 2010 to 2016); 112 English and Mandarin archival documents from industry, academic, and news outlets; and 51 semi-structured interviews with industry, government, and academic stakeholders, we develop four in-depth case studies. We find that in contrast to the innovation trajectories of multinational and Chinese arms of joint venture (JV) firms, independent domestic Chinese firms (those with no history of international JV partnerships) are undertaking significant experimentation across multiple levels—infrastructure, core system, subsystem, and component—of the emerging PEV technology platform. We propose the concept of “institutional complementarities” to describe how interactions among institutions—here the national JV regulation and local market support and subsidies—may have turned regional markets into protected laboratories, extending the incubation periods for independent domestic firm experimentation. While this diverse experimentation may be an important antecedent of technology transition, consolidation induced by national policy standardization or competitive pressure may be required for PEV innovations to scale beyond their early, protected regional markets.  相似文献   

If Multicultural Science Education Standards’ Existed, What Would They Look Like?     

Robert Ferguson 《Journal of Science Teacher Education》2008,19(6):547-564

The intersection between science teacher education and multiculturalism has produced a considerable amount of research in the science education community. This paper suggests, according to current science teacher preparation literature, an initial set of multicultural science education standards for science methods course instructors of preservice teachers: dialogic conversation, authentic activities, reflexivity, ability, committed practice, and knowing. Included in the discussion of each standard is an activity or lesson that a science methods course instructor can implement.  相似文献   

Student Reasoning About the Lever Principle Through Multimodal Representations: a Socio-Semiotic Approach     

Xu  Lihua  Ferguson  Joseph  Tytler  Russell 《International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education》2021,19(6):1167-1186

International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education - There is increasing recognition of the multimodal representational nature of science discovery practices and the roles of multiple and...  相似文献